CHAI AI

About CHAI AI

Chai Research is a US consumer technology company that operates a conversational AI platform where users create, share and chat with character-based AI chatbots. Founded in 2021 by William Beauchamp, the company developed its app initially in Cambridge, England, then relocated to Palo Alto, California in 2022.

The Chai app offers a swipeable feed of user-generated AI characters, with no-code tools that let users define a character's name, opening message, personality traits, and backstory. Users can also chat with bots created by others. The platform serves social and entertainment use cases, including role-playing, interactive fiction, and companionship.

Chai trains proprietary in-house large language models on user-feedback data, combining techniques such as reinforcement learning from human feedback and direct preference optimization, plus a "model blending" approach that ensembles multiple models at the conversation level. The models run on the company's own GPU infrastructure. In 2023, Chai also launched Chaaverse, a developer platform where third-party researchers and developers can submit LLMs for live evaluation by users.

The app operates on a freemium model, with free ad-supported access, paid Premium and Ultra subscription tiers, and in-app purchases. The company positions itself around what it calls "social AI", building a platform for AI that is both entertaining and social.